What Motivates
MiddletonThe
Milwaukee Bucks small forward explains what led him to the sport,
his family’s impact, his charitable work and more.

BY NICOLE
KIEFERTPHOTOS BY GARY DINEEN

March 2019

Milwaukee
Bucks shooting guard and small forward Khris Middleton has worked
long and hard to be where he is today: successful NBA star who
joined teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo at last month’s All-Star game;
one of just three Milwaukee Bucks in history who have made it to the
Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest multiple times; award-winning
philanthropist and all around kindhearted, humble man. The Milwaukee
transplant credits his successes to his family members and their
sound and practical advice, as well as his own persistence.

“[My biggest motivator] is definitely my family,”
says Middleton. “They’ve been with me every step of the way. …
They’re always a phone call away or a flight away.”

Middleton started playing sports at a young age,
showing interest in several until his parents advised him to narrow
his focus to two. Middleton found the decision easy, and it launched
him on his path to success.

“I basically started playing [basketball] since I can
remember,” the 6-foot-8-inch star reminisces. “My dad introduced me
to the game. So the two sports I chose were basketball and baseball.
I wanted to play football, but my mom wouldn’t let me.”

Middleton sidestepped football at his worried
mother’s request, and focused on basketball and baseball, eventually
keeping his attention on basketball alone. From there it was a
matter of working hard and persevering through each step of the
process, and, he says, maintaining confidence and a positive
attitude.

“I always dreamed about [becoming a professional in
the NBA], but I think my mom and dad [stressed that] it’s the work
ethic,” Middleton says. “You have to work for it; it’s not going to
be given to you. That’s one thing I’ve always envisioned. So it was
a step-by-step process. ‘OK, now you’ve gotta make the V team in
middle school, [then] try to make the JV team, the varsity team and
then cross your fingers to get a scholarship, and then once you get
to college you never know what’s going to happen. So it was just a
step-by-step process where I just went in to work my way up.”

After high school, Middleton turned his eye toward
the pros, signing with Texas A&M in 2008. In 2012, he was the 39th
overall pick in the NBA draft, signing his rookie scale contract
with the Detroit Pistons. In July of 2013 he was traded to the
Bucks, where he has played proudly ever since.

Of course, there have been a few bumps in the road. A
leg injury nearly ended his season in his freshman year of college.
A hamstring injury in 2016 required surgery that benched him for six
months, and a quad injury sidelined him for a few weeks in late
2018. But Middleton never lost his confidence and composure.

“[My parents] instilled that ‘never quit’ attitude
with us and that you’re gonna go through obstacles in life,” he
explains. “[They] said, ‘It’s up to you to either let it get to you
or overcome them.’ That was a big message that we’ve always gotten,
and I’ve carried it with me to this day. So it was all about just
knocking out barriers or getting over the obstacle. ...You’re either
going to quit just because you got hurt and take the easy way out,
or you can fight against it.”

Middleton patiently waited for his injuries to heal,
diligently following doctor’s instructions and completing extensive
rehab, then bounced back better than ever at the end of 2018,
earning a spot in the 2019 All-Star game and heading back for a
second time to the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest. Relaxing after
practice on a chilly February day, Middleton says he’s incredibly
proud of how far he’s come, especially considering how hard he’s
worked to continuously prove himself.

“When I was first training here I was kind of an
afterthought,” he recalls, “but I worked my way up into making the
roster and then making the team and then the rotation and finally
getting to start. It’s been a grind, I will say, but it’s been a
great grind. That’s what makes making the All-Star game — by being
the No. 1 [team] in the [Eastern conference] and having the
potential to be a championship-caliber team. We’re special in that
we literally started from the bottom and climbed our way up and
built this thing up to something special.”

About to step onto the court for a game when he heard
of his All-Star game selection, Middleton admits that he didn’t have
time to process it.

“[But] after talking to my family and friends, and
just how much work I put in — you know, a lot of people didn’t
expect me to be where I’m at today, being the second-round pick or
not getting really recruited out of high school and now being this
superstar, [and] to actually make an All-Star game, or roster after
all that — it means the world,” he beams.

Despite
trade rumors swirling around the hot commodity, Middleton says he’s
enjoying his time with the Bucks, both his teammates and coaching
staff, and has no immediate plans to leave Milwaukee or the team any
time soon.

“When you’re on a winning team, there’s no reason to
really change unless the guys upstairs [say so],” Middleton
reflects. “So as long as they’ll have me here, I’d be [happy] to
stay here, but it’s always gotta be the right situation for me and
my family. … Right now it’s been perfect for [me], so, hopefully it
can stay that way.”

In addition to his accomplishments on the court,
Middleton added another treasured accolade to his resume when he was
named NBA Cares Community Assist Award recipient. This past holiday
season, Middleton hosted the 12 Days of Khrismas, performing a dozen
different acts of service with deserving residents and community
organizations “I’ve always wanted to do something special for
Christmas,” he says, smiling. “In the past couple of years, I’ve
always done something small with a couple of different departments,
but this year I wanted to do something bigger and special. … The 12
Days of Khrismas was something where we felt like it would be big
and we could touch a little bit of everything in Milwaukee and in
Louisiana and South Carolina, the states I grew up in.”

The 27-year-old star hosted a range of activities,
from classroom makeovers at the Milwaukee Environmental Sciences
Academy to donating moving supplies to a small business, and to
giving gift bags to teachers at Hawthorne Elementary School and much
more. Middleton has also spent the last five years working with the
Boys & Girls Club of America, both in Milwaukee and back home in
South Carolina, and stresses how important it is to give back to
your community whenever you’re able.

“I’m just blessed enough to be in the position I am —
to make a lot of money, to play the game that I love,” Middleton
says. “I also know the other side of things, of how things could be
and what other people are going through. And I just want to reach
out to people. I’m here to help. I’m a regular person. You can talk
to me. Like I said, a lot of people are going through tough times,
and we go through tough times as athletes too. I want people to
realize that we’re normal folk too.”

When he’s not on the court, Middleton confesses that
he’s a devout homebody and enjoys his downtime, making time to visit
his family, spending time with friends, and golfing in the off
season when the weather allows.

“I do play a little golf,” he says. “I’m terrible at
it, but I love playing — during the summertime only, though. Some
friends like to try to golf too, so we just go out there to have a
good time.”

And if he weren’t playing in the NBA? Well, that’s an
idea that Middleton has never entertained.

Though he lists coaching as an option, he admits, “I
get scared when people ask me that question, because I have no idea.
I’ve had a basketball in my hand since I can remember!”